Nellie Augusta Knopf

Distant View

circa 1925

“Ghost Town” by Harold Skene (1883–1978) is a striking vintage oil painting that captures the haunting beauty of Colorado’s mining past. In this evocative Western landscape, a lone prospector and his pack mule stand amid the weathered ruins of an abandoned mountain town. The late summer or early autumn setting is rendered in rich, earthy tones—golden yellows, sage greens, dusty pinks, and soft blues—creating a vivid sense of atmosphere and place. Painted in oil on board and signed by the artist at the lower right, this work is also titled and dated on the verso. It reflects Skene’s architectural training and his artistic roots in the early 20th-century Colorado art scene. The painting is presented in a classic mahogany frame, with outer dimensions measuring 30 x 35.5 x 2.75 inches; image size is 24 x 30 inches. A graduate of Harvard’s School of Architecture, Harold Skene studied at the Denver Art Academy and the Broadmoor Art Academy and was an assistant to noted Western artist Allen Tupper True...

"The Coast" is an original vintage oil painting from the mid-20th century (circa 1950s-1970s) by renowned New Mexico artist Marjorie Chambers (1923-2006). This stunning nocturnal marine landscape captures the serene beauty of the coast under a glowing moonlit sky. The artist masterfully uses a soothing palette of blues, greens, browns, and whites to create a tranquil, ethereal atmosphere. The painting is rendered on wood panel, signed by Chambers in the lower right corner, and titled on the reverse. It is presented in a custom frame with a dark finish and gold lip, with outer dimensions measuring 18 ¼ x 21 ¾ x 1 inches, and an image size of 11 x 15 inches. About the Artist: Marjorie Bell Chambers (also known as Marjorie Bell) was born in 1923 in New York. She became a prominent figure in both the arts and social activism, earning a degree in Art History and Political Science from Mount Holyoke College (1943) and a Master of Arts from Cornell University (1948). Chambers moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, in the 1940s, where she raised her family and worked as a substitute teacher while her husband, William H. Chambers, worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Along with her artistic pursuits, Chambers was a passionate advocate for women's rights and education. She earned a PhD in History and Political Science from the University of New Mexico in 1974, later serving as a faculty member and dean at Colorado Women's College. She was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Women's Educational Programs in 1976 and was vice-chair of President Carter...